Spirit of Speyside Distilled cancelled due to ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

Sad news for fans of the Spirit of Speyside Distilled festival.

Published 3rd Jun 2020
Updated 21 st Sep 2023

The popular whisky festival, Spirit of Speyside Distilled has been cancelled for this year.

Organisers of the Spirit of Speyside Festivals have taken the decision to cancel this year’s Spirit of Speyside: Distilled Festival due to the ongoing covid-19 pandemic.

The two-day food and drink celebration, which is usually held in Elgin Town Hall, was planned to take place from 28-29 August and had anticipated around 1,400 visitors.

As a consequence of ongoing uncertainties surrounding timings for the lifting of Scotland’s lockdown and social distancing restrictions, the festival board has taken the difficult decision to cancel the event this year.

What is Spirit of Speyside Distilled?

Distilled brings Speyside’s world-famous whisky distillers together with gin, vodka, craft beer and artisan food producers under one roof each year to celebrate the region’s larder.

The festival has attracted many guests from throughout the UK and from overseas since it first started in  2016, and is now a firmly established and popular date in the local Moray Speyside calendar.

James Campbell, chairman of the Spirit of Speyside Festivals said: “We are saddened to announce this year’s Distilled food and drink festival will not go ahead, and we know our visiting guests and the local community will be naturally disappointed to hear this news.

“We now turn our thoughts to 2021 and how we can rally our world-class community of distillers and producers together as we aim to create an even bigger and better calendar of events that will go over and above expectations.

"We look forward to welcoming friends from home and abroad back to the region next year for our popular Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival, as well as our Gin and Distilled festivals.”

The ongoing pandemic also caused the cancellation of the hugely popular Spirit of Speyside festival held in May.

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Known for cake making, experimental jam recipes, Champagne, whisky and gin drinking (and the inability to cook Gnocchi), Rosalind is the Food and Drink Editor and whisky writer for The Scotsman, as well as hosting Scran, The Scotsman's food and drink podcast.
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